Caleb and his team joined Mister Midnight, Mineria, and Ingrid in the center of Morispé Vale, where Midnight had Nyx pinned against the white boulder, a black dagger to her throat.
Nyx was smiling.
“It’s over for you,” Midnight said, his eyes smoldering with rage, his voice taut with emotion. “Sneer all you want. You always did find death entertaining.”
“You’ll kill me in front of your precious pupil?” Nyx asked, her voice dripping with amusement. “In front of children, when I look younger than them? What kind of example are you —?”
Midnight snarled and hit Nyx hard across the side of the head. She crumpled to the ground, unconscious in an instant.
“A bit harsh, Lance,” Mineria said softly. “But…” she cast a glance at Ingrid and especially Addie, and lowered her voice, “thank you.”
“We’ll take her to her compatriots,” Midnight said, hoisting the girl over one shoulder. “You guys up for a field trip?”
“To the Library of Solitude?” Caleb asked. “Sure, but how are we going to get there? I’m… not even sure where we are right now. Morispé Vale, but I don’t know where that is in relation to anything else.”
Midnight smirked. “Allow me to lead the way.”
After the final battle with the Radiant King’s forces, all of his Enforcers and Royal Guards — except Nyx, who’d disappeared — were captured and brought to the Library of Solitude. There they had their Talismans destroyed and were placed in individual, high-security prison cells. The Fault Line Dungeon would normally have been preferred, but Hestia and her group — the Royal Guards who had turned from and against their King — didn’t want their old friends and allies to simply be imprisoned, left to wallow for eternity. For eternity it would be, unless they were executed — “Eternals” they were indeed, and would live forever, thanks to the procedure performed on them by the Radiant King.
So Hestia had petitioned on their behalf for a different fate — to be imprisoned, but not somewhere dark and isolated. Instead, they would be kept secure and unable to harm anyone, but also be able to be visited by Hestia’s group and specialized healers and mediators.
In short, Hestia wanted them to be rehabilitated. She wanted to see her old friends and allies find their way to the same path she and her team had chosen.
The Library of Solitude was the best place for this. The most powerful and secure Bastion, with the widest array of resources and connections, it had storage vaults that could be easily retrofitted as maximum-security individual cells for prisoners of a Human variety — those who were unable to use magic without a Talisman.
While Octavian and Desmé had decided to remain in Grimoire and aid the Hunters with solving the mysteries of the city, Hestia, Artemis, and Galahad spent much of their time at the Library of Solitude. There, they worked with healers and mediators on behalf of their old friends and allies.
And Hestia and Artemis had a highest-priority case: Athena. The Radiant King’s second Gold Knight, his closest confidant and ally, Athena had been the most heartbroken and devastated at Leon’s death.
But she’d been Hestia’s mentor and dearest friend. And she was Artemis’ sister.
They refused to give up on her.
It was a complicated situation, one that Caleb knew he wasn’t fully equipped to navigate. But he wished them the best — and looked forward to this opportunity to check in on them and their progress.
But first, they had to leave Morispé Vale.
Mister Midnight led the way, climbing up a hill past the trench that Caleb’s harsh landing had carved into the field of red flowers. They exited out under a stone archway into grey light, and Caleb heard the sound of the tide, of cresting waves.
The ocean.
They were on an island. A very small one, housing nothing but Morispé Vale. All around it, for miles and miles, was nothing but ocean. The horizon showed no signs of land anywhere else.
Only the sky held a hint of where they were.
“The Final Frontier?” Caleb asked, staring at the cracked, shifting sky.
“That’s right,” Midnight said. “But in a place that no one can ever find on any map. Even the Cartographers map the Vale individually. You can’t get here through ordinary means. How you arrived through Nostal Keep is one way. We — and Nyx — took a different path.”
“So do we go back the way you guys came?” Addie asked.
“No way,” Midnight said, chuckling. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a gleaming black whistle. “We’re taking a shortcut.”
He blew on the whistle once, for a long note, and then two shorter notes. He lowered the whistle, twirled it in his fingers, and pocketed it.
A moment later, the Goodnight Express arrived. Tracks appeared beneath it as it approached in silence, its jet-black form swirling with a dark mist. It came to a gliding, silent stop before the crew, and a door in the exact middle car of the train slid open.
“Mister Midnight!” said the conductor within, tipping his hat to Midnight. “Welcome aboard. I see you’ve brought numerous guests.”
“That’s right,” Midnight said, stepping on first, followed by Mineria, then Ingrid, and Caleb, Chelsea, Addie, Lorelei, Will, and Gwen followed after them.
They settled into large, luxurious, connected compartments — every seat was designed to function as a bed, so if they were sitting instead of napping, they all had plenty of space — and Midnight unceremoniously dumped Nyx into the overhead cargo rack before taking his seat. Within moments, the train was in motion, leaving Morispé Vale and the Final Frontier behind.
“You can just call the train whenever you want?” Addie asked, leaning forward, her wide-eyed gaze full of curiosity.
“Privileges conferred by my title,” Midnight said.
“So does this train basically belong to you?” Addie asked.
“Until I pass my title to someone else.”
“Who’s gonna be your successor?”
“I plan on living for a long while yet. I haven’t thought about a successor.”
“Are you sure?” Addie pursed her lips in thought. “I thought Ingrid was your apprentice. Doesn’t that make her next in line?”
“Kinda hard to call a lady ‘Mister,’ don’t you think?” Midnight asked, a glitter of amusement in his eyes.
“Why’s that?” Addie asked, cocking her head to the side. “It sounds like ‘Miss,’ right? Besides, it’s just a title. Who cares who gets it? It’s not a rule that Mister Midnight has to be a guy, is it?”
“If it was a rule, I wouldn’t care,” Midnight said with a shrug. “It’ll be my successor, so I make the rules. But ‘Mister’ is no good for the title if it’s a lady.”
“But why?” Addie asked, leaning forward, an indignant stare trained on Midnight. “If you’re allowed to appoint whoever you want, then just leave the title as it is.”
“ ‘Mister’ is pretty universally a male title, kiddo,” Chelsea said, patting Addie on the head.
“Okay,” Addie said, though she didn’t seem remotely deterred. “So then, so then! It would be a total plot twist if people came to Midnight Bridge looking for ‘Mister Midnight,’ and then found out she was a girl! Wouldn’t that be surprising?”
“And pointless,” Midnight said, rolling his eyes. “A plot twist’s a waste of space if it’s just for a cheap surprise.”
“It’s not cheap!” Addie insisted, pouting.
“I dunno, I think she might be onto something here,” Caleb said, grinning. “It’s not just a ‘plot twist.’ It’s challenging people’s expectations. It’s a fun prank. And besides, it maintains continuity. The Master of Midnight Bridge always has the same title, but that doesn’t mean they have to be a man.”
“Caleb,” Chelsea said flatly, narrowing her eyes. “You serious?”
“Why not?” Caleb asked, shrugging. “It’s a title. It’s not like it completely defines whoever bears it.”
“You belittling my title?” Midnight asked, glaring.
“No, I just meant —” Caleb started.
“If you insist on the title thing,” Addie said, giving the biggest of eye-rolls, “then just change it for Ingrid. She could be… um… Mistress Midnight!”
“Oh, wow,” Caleb muttered, shaking his head. Chelsea nearly choked on a gulp of water.
“I’m not sure that’s the best replacement,” Gwen said, chuckling. “ ‘Mistress’ can have some rather dubious connotations.”
“I don’t even know what that means,” Addie said, frowning. “I’m just trying to come up with something that’s similar, to please the narrow-minded masses.”
“Ooh, nice one,” Will said softly.
“It’s no good,” Midnight said, shaking his head. “ ‘Mistress’ is absolutely out.”
“But —” Addie started.
“Lady Midnight,” Ingrid said, in a voice full of reverence and awe. A smile creased her lips, and there was a dreamy look in her eyes.
“Someone’s thought about this before,” Midnight said, eyeing Ingrid.
“Well, Addie’s right about the expectations that come with being your apprentice,” Ingrid said, ducking her gaze in mild embarrassment. “And while I wouldn’t be opposed to your title, if it’s allowed to be changed… well, I’d much prefer ‘Lady Midnight’ over ‘Mister.’ No offense, of course! And it’s not that I think I’d ever be worthy of the title, but even so, if called upon, I’d certainly do my best, and —”
“You’ll be great, kid,” Midnight said, resting a hand on her shoulder. She looked at him, surprised, and when met with a small smile from him, she smiled back, her eyes shining with pride.
They chatted back and forth a bit about this and that — Addie was quite passionate about titles, and still wasn’t satisfied even after Ingrid had proclaimed her heart’s desire — before Midnight leaned forward slightly, a serious look in his eyes. “So, tell me,” he said, focusing his gaze on Caleb. “What have you been up to?”
Where to start? There was so much, but Caleb slowly got his bearings and began from the beginning, walking through his adventures slowly and carefully. Will chimed in regularly — surprising, considering how quiet he usually was, but his insight and memory were helpful — and Lorelei, Gwen, Chelsea, and Addie helped out from time to time as well. From Caleb being turned away at the Grimson Bay ruins, to his experience at the Woven Nest, and then defending the Woven Nest, he finally got to forming his team and setting off for the rest of the places on his list. To the Timespan, and the test with Jiryu. Their escape to Starlight Spire, with Caleb —
“You Phase-Jumped?” Midnight asked, eyes wide in amazement.
“There’s a name for it?” Caleb asked.
“Phase-Stepping across Locations,” Midnight said, nodding. “But it’s always just been theoretical. And for good reason. In theory, the distance is too vast, and passes through the kind of space that should tear your body to pieces, but reality gets warped in strange ways when you Phase Step, so it’s not out of the question. But I’m not sure I’d want to test it out just yet.” He eyed Caleb meaningfully. “You were shut out from Time Magic for quite a while. The consequences for someone without your transformation could be more severe. But maybe…” He chuckled. “Well, when things finally quiet down, how about we experiment with it together? I can keep your recklessness in check, and maybe we can figure out a safe way of Phase-Jumping.”
Caleb grinned. “Sounds great.”
And he continued with his story, moving on to the fascinating, surreal experience at the Sea of Tranquility. And then the test at Nostal Keep, the battle at Morispé Vale, and Caleb’s own specific experience gaining a sword in his heart.
“The sword in your heart, huh?” Midnight asked. “Might be nicer if it was a sword you could actually wield with your hands.”
“Not everyone needs to wield a sword, Lance,” Mineria said, laughing softly.
Midnight shrugged. “There’s no better weapon,” he said.
“But you fight with little knives,” Addie said, pointing at Midnight. This put a scowl on Midnight’s face, even as it made Ingrid suddenly convulse with poorly-contained giggles.
“They’re called daggers,” Midnight said, flicking his wrist and bringing out his twin daggers. “And they’re very effective weapons as well. I only bring out my sword when it really counts.”
“Only for Paladin-specific battles, right?” Caleb asked. He thought back to Midnight’s duel with Valgwyn in the Library of Solitude. That was the first and only time he’d seen Midnight’s sword, its jet-black bade shimmering as if forged from a starry sky.
“Not only,” Midnight said, “but for the most part, yes.” He put away his daggers and sat back, still scowling at Addie. “You really need someone to teach you about bladed weaponry. Your vocabulary needs work.”
“She’s a child, you know,” Chelsea said, rolling her eyes. “Limited vocabulary’s in the job description.”
“You can teach me!” Addie said, gazing earnestly at Midnight. “You know all about them, right?”
“I suppose I do,” Midnight said, and Caleb thought he said that with no small measure of smugness. “Fine, Addie. I’ll teach you all about bladed weaponry.”
He’s… passionate about it.
Caleb had never realized. But he found himself smiling.
It’s nice to see yet another layer to him.
“But before we get distracted,” Chelsea said, clearing her throat rather pointedly, “how about you tell us about your detective work? What’d you guys dig up? Where’d you go? And what can you tell Caleb about everything he’s learned so far? It seems like there’s a lot to sort through, and this wonderful, insufferable sweetheart,” she tugged lightly on Caleb’s ear, “is way too willing to just go with the inexplicable when he really needs to understand things. He gets strangely excited about things he doesn’t understand.”
“Discovering new and amazing things you never dreamed of is exciting!” Caleb said.
“Yes, but you should follow those discoveries up with questions, don’t you think?” Chelsea asked sweetly. “You’re far too quick to just roll with things. It’s misunderstanding your powers — and not asking enough questions or seeking enough guidance about those misunderstandings — that’s gotten you into the worst disasters so far.” She leaned close, gazing at him meaningfully. “And I don’t need any more disasters from you, mister. I need you to live — for a long time.”
“And I need you,” Caleb said, smiling at her. He leaned in, kissing her on the cheek, and Chelsea returned the favor, then rolled her eyes.
“She’s got you pegged, kid,” Midnight said, smirking at Caleb. “All right, then. Let’s run through our side of things, and then we can try and dig into your Time Magic stuff. Though the pieces probably won’t come together completely until you return to Grimoire and revisit those ruins.”
“We departed from Midnight Bridge seeking answers about Sal,” Mineria said. “There were other investigations along the way, but our primary focus was on those core questions we shared with you. How can we defeat Sal? How did he gain his power, and what are the exact extents and limitations of that power? How does he know so much? Why does he need so many followers? And why is he specifically interested in your generation of Greysons?”
“Not exactly easy questions to answer,” Caleb said.
“No,” Midnight said. “And we weren’t able to answer them all. But we did learn a lot. First of all — Sal’s power. I met him, back before he became the Lord of Night. He was a skilled and powerful mage, which in hindsight isn’t surprising — he was part of Blaise’s cadre, after all. I didn’t know all of that at the time, and to be frank, in comparison to myself, or most Paladins, he was still fairly ordinary. And while he had anger and a desire for vengeance when he came to me, he had a very specific philosophy that he felt very passionate about. Light and Darkness, he proposed, were both integral to a full understanding of the world. He thought that ‘the shadow road in between’ was the way to enlightenment, or… something.” Midnight rolled his eyes. “He hasn’t lost his fondness for philosophizing and grandiosity. But he’s clearly undergone a major change of heart since I first met him. And the way he spoke to you two when you first met him, focusing on the prophecy of the Endless Night, I think is a major key to that.”
“You ‘think’,” Chelsea said. “So you didn’t actually find out?”
“We didn’t uncover the full story, no,” Midnight said. “But that shift is an important thing to keep in mind — both the shift in his philosophy, and the shift in his abilities. He didn’t always command the power he has. We already knew that. But he didn’t always want the power he has, either. He wasn’t interested at all in going completely towards either the Light or the Darkness. And he is still the man he was, just changed. He isn’t some phantom wearing Sal’s face, using his name, or something weird like that. We can be certain of that, and that makes a big difference. He’s a Halfchant. He’s mortal, normally. The Darkness gave him great power and possibly immortality. We’re not entirely sure. But it did affect him in ways the Darkness has never done to anyone else before. Normally, the Darkness consumes people. Occasionally, it possesses them, takes over their bodies as vessels to do its bidding. But for Sal… he’s in control. That’s something that’s been seen before — people like Jormungand — but always on a small scale, supplemented by other abilities. Sal is on a whole other level. It’s no wonder he’s called the Lord of Night.”
“We also learned that Sal continues to expand his influence,” Mineria said. “He does not operate alone, and it seems as though, even with his vast power, he cannot operate alone if he is to succeed in his goals.”
Midnight nodded. “Not only does he have the Sons of Night and Jormungand, but there’s some ‘Faith of the Dragon’ cult that’s allied with him, and he’s always up for recruiting.” He jabbed a thumb at the luggage rack, where Nyx still lay unconscious. “The reason we ran into her, and the reason she was at Morispé Vale, is because she’s a new disciple of Sal’s. She traded in the Radiant King for the Lord of Night.”
“She joined Sal?” Caleb asked, stunned. “But the Radiant King was trying to destroy the Darkness. He was wrong in his methods, but his ideology —”
“Would it surprise you if Nyx hadn’t originally been one of the Radiant King’s Royal Guards?” Midnight asked.
“She does have the personality,” Gwen said, eyeing the unconscious Nyx with a narrowed gaze. “It’s a wonder she was ever with the Radiant King to begin with. She’s sadistic.”
“That’s a whole other mystery,” Midnight said. “But she’s with Sal, now. And her mission brings us back to one of the most compelling mysteries — why is Sal so interested in your generation of Greysons? Sure, he’s a Greyson, too, but why ignore generation after generation of Greysons until you five come along? And it seems timing is everything to his plans. I’m hoping when she wakes up we can ask her a few questions.”
“Questions?” Caleb asked, tilting his head to the side. “I thought you wanted to —”
“I’d love to see her dead,” Midnight said, narrowing his eyes. “But she’s more valuable alive. She was talking about someone named ‘Ophelia’. No other context, no last name, no title. But apparently, this Ophelia told a select few about certain Greysons.”
“Wait, someone else knows about us?” Caleb asked. “What’d she say?”
“Dunno,” Midnight said, disappointment written all over his face. “I don’t know anything more than that. But the fact is, Sal isn’t the only one — maybe not even the first one — who knew that you and your siblings would be important in some way.”
“We’re important?” Caleb asked. For some reason, that made Chelsea shake with laughter that she fought desperately to hold back. “What? What’s so funny?”
“Shana’s the Dreamer,” Midnight said with a smirk. “Delilah managed to restore the Lost of the Lost, Revue Palace, back to its rightful place as a Daylight Bastion, when everyone else had given up on it — not to mention all that Key of the World stuff. Fae’s been named Dragon Friend, rescued Nocta from Collapse, and then destroyed Collapse itself. And then there’s you, one of the only Time Mages to pass the Trial, and I’m fairly certain you’ve gone beyond that with your transformation and all these new things you’re learning and abilities you’re gaining. Did you just forget about all of that?”
“When you list it out like that, I feel bad for Shias,” Caleb said, frowning.
“I don’t know him well enough,” Midnight said, shrugging. “He’s the quiet sort. Never really got a read on him in the short time I knew him. Don’t take it personally.”
Caleb’s frown didn’t fade. He knew Shias was quiet, and stayed out of the spotlight — and liked it that way — but he was also amazing.
The whole world’s gonna notice, one day.
“But what’s with people somehow knowing these Greysons are going to be important?” Chelsea asked. “Who the heck are these people? This Ophelia, and Sal, what’s their deal? Can they see the future?”
“No one can,” Midnight said, and Caleb looked up. That response came awfully quickly. Midnight noticed his look, and sighed. “It’s a common question in certain circles. One that I’m sick of. No one can see the future. And before you ask ‘what about prophecies?’ prophecies aren’t seeing the future. It’s different than peering through time. They’re peering through fate. You met the Weavers, and we also have the Fates, three wise beings that watch, study, and decipher the threads of fate that weave through the fabric of time, space, and reality. That’s where prophecies come from. They’re seeing, and proclaiming, possibilities. Possibilities wrought from fate. Possibilities with rules, with a certain sequence of events that need to happen to make those possibilities come true. That’s the Prophecy of the Endless Night in a nutshell — a possibility that Sal, through his actions, made real. He studied it, deciphered it, and followed the rules to bring about this calamity that we’re all trying to stop.”
“Okay, cute tangent,” Chelsea said, “but does that mean there’s a prophecy about Caleb and his siblings? If there is, why didn’t we know?”
“There isn’t one,” Midnight said, scowling. “Or… not one that I know of. And the problem is that not everything woven in fate is prophecy. There are all sorts of things in there, things that only the Weavers can organize, and only the Fates can understand. If the Fates don’t tell people, then no one can know. And the Fates rarely tell the whole universe what they know. They’re selective in not just what information they dole out, but who they dole it out to. We can’t possibly know the thousands of amazing truths they’ve revealed to individuals who declined to share those truths with anyone else. Personally, I don’t like this any more than you do. That’s why I want to know more. Because it seems like Sal’s been waiting for your generation of Greysons to show up and start doing important things. It sounds like this Ophelia knew about you long in advance, too. Why? It doesn’t feel right. And I don’t like it.”
“So Nyx is with Sal,” Caleb said, casting a glance at the unconscious Nyx. “And Sal’s been waiting for me and my siblings to appear. But what was Nyx doing waiting for us at Morispé Vale? How did she know we’d be there? And what did she actually want with us? It kind of seemed like she just wanted to kill us all.”
“She does,” Midnight said, his eyes narrowed. “As for how she knew…” He looked outside the train’s window, watching the world go by. Then he reached up, opening a concealed panel and pulling out an old-fashioned telephone. He placed it next to his ear, waited a moment, and then spoke. “Void-shift us for one micro cycle. Thanks.” He hung up the phone and waited a moment, watching the window. Caleb watched as well, waiting.
Stars and planets wheeled by, as usual, but then all of a sudden…
There was nothing. A black, endless void, as far as the eye could see. A chill ran down Caleb’s back, and he thought it was just dread, but when he exhaled, his breath misted the air in front of him.
“I’ll make this brief,” Midnight said, “and I won’t say it again, so pay attention.” He spoke in a bare whisper, and leaned forward, and everyone else had to lean in to listen. “Sal can see through the Darkness. And the Darkness is very nearly everywhere in the mortal world. There are very few exceptions. He has to choose where he looks and what he listens to, so he can’t see and hear everything all at once. But he’s watching you Greysons very, very closely — as well as everyone who comes into contact with you. That is how he knew where you were going. He knew you’d be going to Morispé Vale, probably since the moment you knew you’d be going there. I wish we’d known he had this kind of power before, but now that we do, we need to be much more careful. I’m fairly certain he doesn’t know that we figured it out. That’s why I wanted to tell you this in a place where it’s impossible for him to hear.” Midnight leaned back. A moment later, warmth returned to the compartment, and the normal sights of the speeding universe returned outside the window.
“So…” Caleb started, but he was at a loss. What did he say? What should he say? He felt exposed, like eyes were on him, eyes he couldn’t see. Every action, every word, watched, listened to, known by the great enemy.
And then, he found a ray of hope. Because he remembered his latest visit to Alexandra’s mansion, and learning about the mission at work there. And Alexandra had said, very confidently, “The Lord of Night cannot find us here. Our work remains secret and safe.”
And more than that…
Shana and Shias are there.
That let him breathe a bit easier. Alexandra’s mansion was one of the safest places in the world right now, and the twins were there, safely continuing Shana’s training in her Dreamer powers — and, knowing them, probably helping out with the primary mission at work there.
“What do we do?” he asked, finally finding his voice.
“We keep fighting,” Midnight said, as if that should be obvious. “Back to the other questions, as for what Nyx wanted, I’m fairly sure she wanted to kill you. And I’m confident that wasn’t part of the script. She’s not the most obedient of followers. Unfortunately, that means we don’t know why she was sent there in the first place.”
“Why does she want to kill me?” Caleb asked. “I thought her issue was with you.”
“I’m not so sure that was her plan,” Lorelei said, a thoughtful look in her eyes. “Honestly… I think she was toying with us. She wanted us to suffer, but I don’t think she wanted us to die. Except, perhaps, for you, Mister Midnight.”
“Sure, just rub it in,” Midnight said, raising an eyebrow. “Well, maybe that’s what she was about. I don’t know. I don’t like trying to figure out how she thinks.”
“Someone’s going to have to try,” Gwen said, casting her golden gaze on the unconscious Nyx, “if there’s any hope to discover the secrets she holds.”
“So you learned a bit more about Sal’s powers,” Chelsea said, “and you learned new names and hints that just bring up more questions. Is… that all you figured out on your journey? Seems like we were a lot more productive.”
Midnight scowled, but Mineria smiled, laughing softly. “That isn’t all we discovered,” she said. “In fact, we —” But she stopped as a voice spoke over the train’s speaker system, announcing their imminent arrival at the Library of Solitude. “Ah. Well, let us deliver our prisoner, and then find somewhere we can speak with each other more freely.”
“Yeah, it feels kind of weird having her right there while we’re talking about all of this,” Chelsea said. “You sure she’s out?”
“I wasn’t exactly holding back when I dropped her,” Midnight said, standing and pulling down Nyx. He looked her over for a moment, then slung her over his shoulder. “She’s definitely out. Come on. I’m sick of having her around, too.”
They exited into the Library of Solitude’s lower level, where its train stations were housed. Immediately, Caleb thought something felt strange. But it was Addie who put a voice to his mysterious feeling as they started climbing the stairs to the ground floor.
“Where are all the people?” she asked. “Aren’t train stations supposed to be busy?”
“That is a bit strange,” Midnight said, looking around as they reached the ground floor and took a hall out to one of the numerous hub rooms, working their way down to a central study area.
The hub could have easily housed hundreds of people, walking to and fro, scanning the shelves, sitting and reading or studying.
But there wasn’t a soul in sight.
“If it wasn’t so bright, it’d feel like the first time we were here,” Chelsea said, frowning. “What’s going on?”
“Perhaps we should go to the front desk, first,” Gwen suggested.
“I’m starting to think that’s a good idea, too,” Midnight said, casting a suspicious gaze around the place as he altered course.
They passed through two more hub rooms and went down several halls, all empty, before arriving at the entrance hall. And…
“There’s nobody at the desk!” Ingrid said, heading around the opposite side of the desk and looking around from a librarian’s perspective. “I don’t understand.”
“Me neither,” Midnight said, his scowl deepening.
And then, a surprising voice called Caleb’s name in surprise. Caleb turned, eyes wide before he even laid eyes on the girl.
“Delilah!” he cried out, stunned to see his youngest sister here. She was with Alice, Isabelle, Maribelle, Sarabelle, Marcus, Merric, and a man Caleb didn’t recognize. But all he needed to see was Delilah. A smile spread across his face, and he ran to her, and Delilah accepted his embrace. “It’s so good to see you! You holding up okay?”
“I’m fine,” Delilah said, laughing softly. “But what are you doing here?”
“We have a delivery,” Caleb said. “And I think we’ve got some things we could stand to study in the biggest library in the universe.”
“Where is everyone?” Midnight asked. “Do you know what’s going on?”
“The Library is not completely emptied,” Merric said. “But it is largely so. Lady Kodoka and Maestro Siegfried have led the main army out to do battle with the Lord of Night.”
“Wait,” Midnight said, his voice suddenly hollow, his expression grave. “They’ve… they’ve gone to fight him? Already?”
“Yes,” Merric said. “Maestro Siegfried was especially excited, saying they’d found out the Lord of Night’s weakness, and were going to put an end to him.”
“His weakness…?” Midnight’s complexion was pale. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Where are they? If we go now, then maybe I can stop —”
“The… battle has already begun,” Merric said, clearly worried at Midnight’s reaction. “What’s the matter? Have they made an error?”
Midnight opened his mouth, but then the girl over his shoulder stirred.
“Awake, are you?” Midnight asked, hoisting Nyx off of his shoulder and placing her on the floor. She stood, looking up at him with a sly smile. “What’s so entertaining?”
“You haven’t figured it out?” Nyx asked, cocking her head to the side, studying Midnight with what was surely mock surprise. She chuckled. “My new King has everything under control.”
“I don’t think you understand your position,” Midnight said, gripping Nyx’s arm tight. “Your Talisman’s broken. You’re powerless here. So if you know something, spit it out. It’s only going to get worse for you.”
“Powerless?” Nyx asked, grinning up at Midnight. “Judging by your expression, you’re the one who’s powerless to stop those fools from going to do battle with Alexander. And you know it.”
“You’re misunderstanding what you’re seeing,” Midnight said in a low, tense voice.
Nyx’s smile deepened. “You’re the one who misunderstands,” she said. “Alexander’s powers are vast. And he doesn’t just keep them to himself.” She turned, casting a frightening look at Delilah. “Ah… the Keybearer. You’re just in time.”
Nyx took a step back, and suddenly wrenched her arm free from Midnight’s grip. As Midnight grabbed for her again, and the rest of the group started moving to intercept her, a tear in space opened up behind her. That tear widened, revealing a rift of Darkness — one that threatened to engulf not just Nyx, but Delilah as well.
Get away from my sister!
Caleb Phase-Stepped. He charged right after her, and Midnight Phase-Stepped, too, the pair of Time Mages charging at Nyx together. But while the blue of the River of Time spread around them, it mingled with the Darkness of the rift that Nyx had opened up.
Something… was wrong.
Caleb was halfway to Nyx when the blue of the River of Time collided with the Darkness of the rift that Nyx opened up. They swirled together, and then exploded with violent, wild fury. Nyx, Caleb, and Midnight were sent flying — alone.
They were the only ones here. Whatever was happening, it was excluding all but Nyx and the Time Mages.
The trio tumbled through Darkness, and through the spaces between. The River of Time swirled around them. Gears and cogs turned, flywheels spun rapidly. Darkness shot through in faint bursts and flares, but the River of Time seemed to be more powerful here, winning out over the Darkness. But reality was also wildly, violently warped here. Rifts and portals of Darkness were opening up, then snapping shut. The cogs and gears that turned also spiraled through place, coming to sudden stops, then bursting apart into smaller gears and cogs that flew this way and that, melting into water and reforming into larger shapes.
While Caleb and Midnight struggled to gain their footing, Nyx seemed like she’d expected this, like she’d planned for it, even. She deftly leapt about, nimbly picking her footing along wildly spinning gears and cogs and flywheels, angling towards a larger opening of Darkness.
“Keep her from escaping!” Midnight shouted, darting after Nyx. Dark tendrils of his own magic pursued the girl with grasping, clawed hands — seeing them contrasted against the rifts of Darkness, Caleb was able to finally see that for all the dark, black, violent energy that made up Midnight’s magical attacks, they didn’t have the same all-consuming darkness of the living Darkness itself. They were actually a deep, deep purple, so dark it only seemed black — like a midnight sky.
Midnight’s tendrils succeeded, pulling Nyx away from a rift of Darkness, but she tore free of them quickly and leapt for another opening.
Caleb’s blood was boiling. Nyx had targeted Delilah. While he sent shining white chains after her, they were sporadic.
Caleb chased after her himself, using Mobility discs to shoot him along. He wanted to catch her with his own hands.
“Watch yourself, kid!” Midnight shouted, following after him. “This place isn’t stable! The sooner we grab her and get out, the better.”
“Unstable?” Caleb asked, narrowly evading a giant silver cog that came careening for him. It crashed into a gear behind him, and the two exploded in a million tiny mechanical parts, which Caleb barely deflected with Mobility discs.
“Phase-Stepping warps reality,” Midnight said. His tendril hands pulled Nyx away from another escape route, but she tore free from them a moment later and started leaping towards the next Dark portal. “But those tears of Darkness — they warp reality, too. Two different warpings of reality collided, creating this rift in time and space. But it can’t last. It’ll collapse in on itself violently in time.”
“How much time?” Caleb asked.
“Not much,” Midnight said. “So pick up the pace! And get your head on straight. Focus! Stay calm. Zealously defending your sister’s good, but not if it makes you sloppy. Get those chains after her. Bounce her back with discs. Stop her! And do it right.”
Caleb’s head cleared, slightly. Midnight’s words stung, but in the right way.
He was angry. And he was barreling along without focus, without clarity. He wasn’t using his magic effectively. Nyx leapt for an opening of Darkness, and Caleb finally snagged her with a pair of chains, whipping her away from her escape. She shattered those chains and continued leaping through this warped space, but she had a ways to go to the next portal.
“How come time isn’t stopped for her?” Caleb asked. “We didn’t just enter Time-state, we Phase-Stepped.”
“Reality warpings collided,” Midnight said. “She’s a part of it. We can’t beat her with Time Magic, now. Nothing we do will manipulate time in this space. We’ve got to stop her otherwise and then escape.”
“You’ve seen this before, Lancelot!” Nyx called back, laughing gleefully.
“I’ve seen a lot of things,” Midnight said. Black tendrils grabbed Nyx and yanked her away from a portal, slamming her into a silver gear. She didn’t miss a beat, breaking free and leaping farther away. And then, Midnight shouted, “Watch out!”
A tear of Darkness, thin and long, suddenly shot across the horizon of this warped space. The blue of the River of Time collided with it, snapped the tear shut — and then exploded in a wild, concussive blast of force. Nyx came flying towards Caleb — straight towards him.
Caleb grabbed her. Pinned his arms around her, because that was the best he could do; she was flung right into him and he couldn’t evade and use his chains. They went careening off into space together, Caleb fighting for control.
And he saw where they were heading. If he timed it right, if he got their spin under control, then…
There! He brought Nyx down hard onto a wide, silver cog. Sparks of blue light blasted forth from the impact, and Caleb winced for Nyx’s sake.
Time, suddenly and abruptly, came to a complete standstill. Reality paused in its warping, so that Caleb, Nyx, and Midnight were the only ones in motion, now. Midnight had been flung in the entirely opposite direction, and was so far away, though running and leaping as fast as he could to reach them.
“So soft,” Nyx taunted, sneering at Caleb. “That didn’t hurt me at all. I’m your enemy — why are you worried about how roughly you treat me?”
“Why did you join the Lord of Night?” Caleb asked, pressing Nyx down, pinning her against the cog. “Why take his power? What about your friends —”
“Friends?” Nyx asked, raising an eyebrow. “I never had any friends. I only became an Eternal because of the power afforded through that procedure. Eternal life is nothing to scoff at. And the Radiant King’s power and position gave me free reign to develop and use my powers as I wished. The Radiant King is gone, but Alexander offered me even greater power.”
“Alexander?” Caleb asked.
“Alexander Salazar Greyson,” Nyx said. “His title is foolishly grandiose, and the nickname he prefers is too childish. So I call him by his first name. It reflects our new friendship.”
“Friendship? But you —”
Nyx sighed. “Understand this, child…” She gripped Caleb’s collar and, with tremendous strength far beyond her small body, flipped Caleb over, pinning him against the cog now. “All I’ve ever wanted was power. Power is freedom, is control, is everything. And do you know why I’m so amused by you?” Her lips widened in a grin, showing her teeth. “Because you’re an idiot. The worst kind of idiot. You’re weak. And you think that weakness is a strength. It’s the most foolish, idiotic thing imaginable. And now, you’re going to watch, helplessly, while I escape. Because you can’t stop me. And you can’t stop the Darkness that’s coming.”
“The Endless Night is going to devour everything!” Caleb said, struggling vainly against Nyx’s hold. He summoned forth shining chains, but Nyx batted them away with a hand. “All your power won’t matter when you cease to exist!”
“Is it really going to devour everything?” Nyx asked. “Come now, use your head. Would Alexander really enact a stratagem that ended his own life? No. He’s powerful. He will endure. He will survive within the Darkness. And I will, too. Because I’m not weak enough to let anything devour me.” Caleb struggled and Nyx slammed him hard against the cog. Midnight was nearly close enough to join their fight. Nyx cocked her head to the side, studying Caleb curiously, and then suddenly snatched at Caleb’s glasses.
Caleb was too slow to stop her. She pulled his glasses off, and he immediately shut his eyes tight, even as he struggled and grasped blindly for his glasses.
“Oh?” Nyx asked. “So these are more important to you than they seem.” Caleb didn’t say a word, just fought against Nyx blindly, until…
He felt a pressure against his eyes. Nyx pressed fingers against each shut eye, just enough to be a threat, not yet causing damage. “Stop struggling,” she said softly, smoothly, “or I’ll put out your eyes.”
Caleb let his hands fall, steadying his breathing even as every part of him longed to panic.
“Westward glass, hmm?” Nyx asked, keeping the slight pressure on Caleb’s eyes. “I see. You’re Fractured!” She sounded positively thrilled at the discovery, and laughed. “What would happen if I crushed these glasses, I wonder?” Caleb struggled, but only for the slightest moment, wincing and stopping his fight as the pressure against his eyes increased. “Good boy.” For a tense, helpless moment, Caleb lay there, waiting. He heard Nyx messing with his glasses in her free hand, and braced himself for a sudden snap or crack.
But no sounds of the like came. After a moment, Nyx let out a slightly frustrated, “Hmm.” And then, “These are far sturdier than they seem. What to do, what to do…?”
“You could give them back to me,” Caleb said softly. “Please?”
“Ooh, the child has some manners when he’s in trouble,” Nyx said, and Caleb could hear the grin in her voice. “Ah, but that’s something I’m simply not inclined to do. I could just keep them with me. But that’s such a pointless burden. Hmm… oh! I know!” And she laughed, and Caleb’s blood ran cold.
“Get off him, Nyx!” came Midnight’s commanding voice.
“Or what?” Nyx asked in a taunting voice. “Come now, Lancelot, if you try to pull me off, you don’t know what might happen to your precious pupil’s eyes.”
“Please —” Caleb started, but stopped as Nyx slightly increased the pressure of her fingers against his eyes.
“Ah-ah,” she warned. “You’re not in control here. Not. One. Bit. And now, I know just what to do.”
“Don’t you dare, Nyx!” Midnight shouted.
Nyx simply chuckled. And then, “Ta-ta!” Caleb felt Nyx slightly shift, and his stomach twisted in knots as he heard what sounded like a throwing motion, and then… very distant…
Clink. Clank.
And then nothing.
“Ooh, they went farther than I hoped!” Nyx said, laughing triumphantly. “That was marvelous! You’ll never find them, now. I can’t even see them anymore, so I’m confident I wouldn’t be able to retrieve them. And you can’t even use your eyes anymore, can you? Ooh, and there goes your teacher, trying to track them down. Which gives us a lovely moment alone.” She leaned in close, so Caleb felt her breath against his ear. “Your beloved shattered my Talisman. She severed my connection to my precious Summon. You should be grateful that I didn’t do anything so wicked to her. Because her punishment would have been far, far worse. And you should be grateful you did what you did. You succeeded, you know — for now at least, the Keybearer is safe. Well done.” She leaned back, chuckling. “Now, then. Despair, Caleb Greyson! I’m going to go let Alexander know of all the fun we had together. You won’t see me again. But you may cross paths with me again, if we’re both lucky.” She laughed, and then rose from Caleb in a swift motion, removing her hand from his face. Before Caleb could even move, she was gone — he felt her leap from the cog, shifting its weight and nearly causing him to slide off. And he heard the tear in reality as she opened up a rift of Darkness, and vanished through it.
Her laughter echoed through the air long after she was gone.
Caleb clenched his hands into fists, gritted his teeth…
And struggled against unwanted tears.
Don’t open your eyes.
That was what cut to his heart. For so long — likely too long, he’d been far too lucky lately — he’d been able to manage just fine. Like normal, actually. As if he’d never been Fractured at all.
But these were invisible scars that would never heal. If he opened his eyes, even for a moment, he risked everything.
And that was especially a problem now because he’d moved around so much in his fight with Nyx. He wasn’t where he’d started — what would happen if he exited Time-state now? Where would he be? Not only that, they’d been fighting through a realm of warped, twisted reality. He could be in an entirely different Location, or in the mysterious, unknown Void.
Footsteps sounded on the gear, shifting it slightly. “Keep ‘em closed, kid.” Midnight’s voice, calm and strong. And then Caleb was being lifted in Midnight’s strong arms. “I’m… sorry. I couldn’t find them.”
“Nyx?” Caleb asked, fighting to keep his voice steady.
“Gone,” Midnight said bitterly.
“I… we’ve got to find my glasses,” Caleb said, feebly. He knew what was coming next, as Midnight leapt into motion.
“Forget them,” Midnight said. “This rift’s about to collapse. If we’re still inside when it does, we’ll cease to exist. Don’t worry. I’ll find the exit.”
Silence, as Midnight carried Caleb, leaping from cog to gear through the warped space. Caleb’s eyes were still squeezed shut, but he could feel every movement.
The silence continued on, and then… “Hey!” Midnight’s voice broke harshly into Caleb’s thoughts. “I’ll go get new glasses from Alexandra, okay? You’re not blind forever.”
Caleb didn’t respond for a moment. Tears stung his eyes. And, slowly, in a trembling voice, he responded, “…I’m sorry.”
There was a short pause, as Midnight landed, then leapt forward. “You’ll learn from this,” he said softly. Then a soft laugh escaped his lips. “Looks like I’m not done teaching you, yet.”
Caleb shook his head. “And you’d better not be. Not for a really, really long time.”
“You can count on it,” Midnight said.
And then, Caleb’s ears popped. The world felt different — warmer, and there wasn’t a blue tint against his eyelids, but white.
“Caleb!” came Delilah’s voice, and Chelsea’s, and Addie’s. Midnight set Caleb down on the cool, marble floor of the Library of Solitude, and then Caleb was surrounded. Two smaller forms hugged him, and then hands Caleb knew so well — Chelsea’s hands — touched his face. Warm, gentle, but also bearing the fierce strength that Caleb admired so much.
And there was worry. They were all worried. He heard it in their voices, felt it in their touch.
Caleb let out a long, heavy sigh.
“Sorry,” he said softly, struggling to keep bitterness and pain out of his voice. “I… messed up.”
“Where are your glasses…?” Chelsea asked, stroking Caleb’s face.
“…Gone,” Caleb said, and the bitterness couldn’t be hidden.
Silence reigned.
Slowly, hesitantly, Chelsea broke the silence. “You’re… keeping your eyes closed,” she said softly. “Good. You don’t want to damage them any worse than they already are.”
“Yeah,” Caleb said, his voice shaky.
“Can… can Alexandra make him new ones?” Delilah asked.
“Yeah,” Midnight said. “She’ll have kept a record of him. I’ll leave right away. It’s best if I go alone.”
“Alone?” Ingrid asked.
There was a brief pause, and then, from Midnight, “…Okay. You’re with me. Mineria… look after them?”
“Like you need to ask,” Mineria said, and Caleb heard the smile in her musical voice.
“Right,” Midnight said. “Ingrid and I’ll go. The rest of you, stay here. The Library’s safe, and those of you who can see can do some research, see if you can learn anything before we get back.”
“Yeah,” Caleb said.
“It’ll… take time,” Midnight said slowly. “But I’ll be back.”
“I know you will,” Caleb said. He lifted a hand, clenched into a fist. After a moment, he felt a firm press of rough knuckles against his.
“Until then, we’ll be your eyes,” Addie said. “Right?”
“Right,” Chelsea said, and Caleb could hear all the emotion in her voice. The verge of tears that she stood on, barely holding them back. But also the smile, at Addie’s wonderful, supportive words.
“Are you hurt?” Midnight asked.
Caleb shook his head. Then, slowly, “…Only my pride.”
“Yeah,” Midnight said softly, as if to himself. “Don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone. That goes for all of you, not just Caleb. Stay safe.”
“Roger that,” Caleb said.
It’s gonna be okay.
He struggled to really think that. It was something he would have so easily said in the past, something he would have said loudly and boldly, with a plastered smile on his face.
Memories of his other, the masked Caleb in Shadowland, came to him.
I’m not him. I won’t be him.
No masks. No false positivity.
It is gonna be okay. Mister Midnight will come back with glasses. I’m not blind forever. And I’ve got Chelsea, Addie, and Delilah as my eyes. And not just them. Will’s here, and Lorelei, and Gwen.
Even so…
It doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt.
Slowly, Caleb rose to his feet with help from others. And then he felt a soft press of knuckles against his forehead.
He chuckled. “Hey, Will,” he said.
“Hey,” came Will’s reply. “You okay?”
Caleb hesitated, for a brief moment. “Nope,” he said, bowing his head.
“Yeah,” Will said. He pushed again against Caleb’s forehead, then lowered his hand. “But we’ve got you.”
Caleb smiled. “I know you do.”